A delegation of the Czech Senate, led by its Chairman, PremyslSobotka, made an official
visit to Bulgaria on 28th-30th March. On 29th March, MrSobotka and the Czech Parliamentary delegation met
the Chairman of the National Assembly, GeorgiPirinski. The Czech Senate Chairman delivered a speech
before the deputies in the Bulgarian Parliament. MrSobotka underlined the fact that Czech experience of EU
membership could help Bulgaria avoid certain mistakes. He said that among the
prerequisites for the establishment of a successful economic development of the
newly-acceded EU member-countries are not only the concentration of effort upon
the development of projects to be funded by the Structural Funds, but also the
establishment of a favourable business environment
for foreign entrepreneurs

In confirmation of his appraisal of Bulgaria as a viable
commercial partner of the Czech Republic, the Senate Chairman particularly
pointed to the joint Czech-Bulgarian companies in the sphere of railway
transport. On the afternoon on 29th March, MrSobotka and his delegation visited the production and
technology facilities of “Balkan SAST” in Sofia. This daughter company of AZD
Prague is among the examples of good bilateral economic cooperation. The
investment hitherto made by the “mother-company” amounts to EUR3 million and it
is envisaged that in the period 2007-2008 this will exceed EUR7 million. In his
address to the Bulgarian and Czech business managers, the Chairman of the Czech
Senate pointed out that the role of politicians is to “open the doors”, thus
enabling the representatives of the business sector to establish useful and
successful contacts and implement in practice the possibilities created on
political level.

Eng. ZdenekHrdle,
Director General of AZD Prague, noted that the new 60 employment possibilities
hitherto offered by “Balkan Sast”, as well as pending
employment offers, are mainly targeted at young Bulgarian professionals. The
transfer of know-how and the recruitment of local experts are major elements of
the corporative vision of AZD Prague, emphasised the Director General. In his turn, the Governor
of “Balkan SAST”, eng. Ivan Kovachev,
presented to the guests the production capacities of the company and its
projects in the sphere of safety systems and equipment for rail and road
transport, including the underground.

On 30th March in the Rila Hall
of the Sheraton Hotel, MrSobotka
officially opened a business forum on “Cooperation options for Czech and Bulgarian
companies in the sphere of railway transport in Bulgaria”. In his opening
speech the Minister of Transport, PetarMutafchiev, expressed his personal support, as well as the
general support of the Government, for each foreign investor who demonstrates the
good will to assist the development of the railway sector. The Minister emphasised the growing role of public-private partnerships
as an alternative to state budget-funding in the sphere of railway
infrastructure in particular. He stated that the topmost priorities in this
sector in Bulgaria are safety issues and the implementation of
interoperability, both of which are spheres where our country can make
efficient use of Czech experience.

Four Czech Companies – AZD Prague, ŽPSV, OHL ŽS
and KPM Consult, as well as the Association for Transport Telematics
in the Czech Republic, presented their activities before officials from the
Bulgarian Ministry of Transport, the Parliamentary Committee for Transport and
Communications, Sofia Municipality, BDZ EAD, NRIC and SE “TCR”. His Excellency,
the Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Sofia, Martin Klepetko,
commented: “AZD Prague, ŽPSV, OHL ŽS and KPM Consult have accumulated
significant experience in the railway sector and the provision of consultancy services for companies in the Czech Republic
and the markets of Central and Eastern European Countries. I am convinced that
with their know-how these four companies can be useful for the development of
railway construction and transport in Bulgaria”.

The vision of the four represented Czech companies, three
of which have solid positions in Bulgaria, was voiced by eng.MichalStefl, Chief
Executive Director of OHL ŽS, thus: “the aim of Czech investors is not an
unscrupulous market invasion but the establishment of fruitful cooperation,
which is the sine qua non for the efficient functioning of the Trans-European transport network”.